Cruel Romance (2015)

Well, well, well. Where do I even start?

This is the first Asian drama that I watched that had so many episodes. I finished it in three days, where I was relentlessly stuck to my laptop screen. I laughed, I swooned, I sighed, I screamed- all in all it was a fairly enjoyable ride.

To be honest, the star of this show is Zhou Zhen. The drama would essentially be nothing without him. He's an Alpha Male to the boot. He's got the looks, the rough exterior, the charm and the golden heart to go with it all. He's possessive and controlling and yet, so tender and affectionate. He's a true badass and even though his fight scenes are awfully corny at first, they grow on you. The actor playing the role delivered his best and really there couldn't have been a more perfect Er Ye than Zhou Zhen. The loyalty his subjects have for him is endearing and his courageous personality and give no fucks attitude is so fucking attractive.

And well that's about all this drama has, to be honest. The supporting characters all lie on various scales on the spectrum of annoying and dumb. The main heroine is a horrendously stupid and weak af damsel disguised as a smart female lead. It's convenient how she's apparently good at almost everything except, things that matter.

Like, literally the only time she took out her claws was is in front of the man who loved her with his all. Which was hilarious because for all her bark, she's so irrelevant and legit has no bite. She's always saved by the hero and even when she apparently becomes this badass later, she does nothing except create problems for the guy. Like, there was no scene in the entire show where I was like "Go Girl, that's some mojo".
Nope, she's useless.

Plus, towards the end she commits one of the most brainless acts ever committed in the history of dumb acts committed by brainless heroines and has to pay heavily for it, just because she thought trusting a shady ass man who she met a coupla times was better than trusting someone who was there for her through thick and thin. I really don't understand what Zhou Zhen saw in her and how he was capable of loving such an ungrateful TSTL so unconditionally that he forgave her for her selfishness time and time again.

Then comes Ming Zhu. This girl is even more dumb than our heroine. (Which is quite a feat to achieve in itself, to be honest) She let's herself be manipulated time and time again by the bad guy and has to face so much shit in her life. She suffers horribly throughout and at the end always asks God, why it had to be her.

Well, the answer is because she buried all her intelligence under a rock somewhere and went on her merry way. Like, all the messy things she gets herself in could've been easily avoided but nope, she was hell-bent on making irrationality her best friend. Like really, let me ask you, if somebody who tortured, hit, raped you and was emotionally blackmailing you to do hideous things offered you a gift, would you fucking take it with a big smile or would you throw it in the nearest trash can and be 'oh shit I'm outta here'.

Like, how dumb can you be to trust a guy, you hate? Who's inflicted horrible things on you countless of times. How can you be brain-dead enough to later wonder why he lied to you and deceived you? Like bitch, you thought? You really thought the guy who made your life hell was gonna turn into a boy scout in sixty seconds? I can't.

However, the women are not the only epitome of stupidity here, because we always have the second male lead Ying Dong to fulfill the quota on the men's side. He's simply a selfish, childish brat who always creates troubles for others. Like, he literally does not have a single redeeming quality and frankly, his existence is a waste.

Atleast, throughout the drama he gets rightfully taunted about how he is trash (which he is) and in the end admits that he can only love himself. I literally wanted to punch him in the face. Throughout the show, he gives these fierce and angry looks where he pretends that he's all that but like, he just needs to sit tf down cause he isn't shit. He's a worse damsel in distress than our heroine and his ass constantly needs saving. It's a pity that at the end he still does get almost everything (while even in the last episode he creates shit for other people). His brother, Han Chuan on the other hand was so respectable and a clever and true businessman who I really liked from the start.

Also, one thing that nobody seems to notice is that Cruel Romance plagiarized an entire scene from the Korean Drama Innocent Man, where Ming Zhu asks YingDong to meet her and jumps in the pool in order to show that she is willing to end her life for him. Tsk tsk. However, where it was an impactful scene in Innocent Man, here it was just further evidence of Mingzhu's lack of intellect.

A perk of this drama though, is the Bad Guy. Qian Tian is a good villain. His psychotic and bloodthirsty character was very interesting and he had his wits till the end. The back and forth between the hero and the villain was so entertaining to witness. Qi Ji and Huang Xiao Ming portrayed excellent acting skills and really, they were the only thing that made this drama worth watching.

Even though the heroine independently wasn't much, her chemistry with Zhou Zhen was amazing. The romance aspect of this drama is brilliant and it's filled with iconic, swoon worthy moments. Despite the fact that the drama lost its soul towards the end and just kind of wandered aimlessly with unnecessary sub plot lines and repetition (Literally, the second last episode is filled with characters having flashbacks of things that happened before again and again- I skipped almost all of it because of the sheer redundancy of it ) and the ending wasn't executed well at all but if you're a romance lover and like your guys to be Alphas and bad boys, you'll ignore all of its shortcomings and still get extremely entertained.

For Zhou Zhen's swagger is enough to overcome all that this drama lacked.

I wouldn't say I'd rewatch all of its 40 episodes but there are some scenes that I'd definitely like to revisit.

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==!! Contains some minor spoilers !!==

This drama was one big, terrible train wreck.

Poor, inconsistent writing, poor production, poor character development, overall just awful.

I don’t think I have ever disliked a leading character as much as I hated Jin Xiu. She was given the perfect back-drop to be awesome: innocent country girl who moves to the big city to uncover the mystery of her family’s murder. There is so much room there for growth. Instead, Jin Xiu is portrayed as a sweet country girl but is actually a spoiled, helpless brat who somehow magically gets saved and loved by everyone around her for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom. She wines and complains that she wants to be strong and independent but is miraculously saved by someone every step of the way. She doesn’t know her limits and her continuously pushing Zuo Zhen away despite his best intentions and then turning around and running to him for help in the beginning was disgusting.

Later, when she realizes her feelings for him she becomes a loving, doting partner…only to go all 360 reveng-y the second her love is put to the test. Trust is not a word that exists in her vocabulary.

I get that Zuo Zhen wasn’t perfect given his possessiveness and arrogance. But his intentions were always good, and he sweetly stood by Jin Xiu no matter what. Whenever she was framed, he never doubted her. Instead, the moment he was set-up Jin Xiu hardly hesitated to doubt him despite his unfailing devotion to her. So. Frustrating.

The plot itself was a snooze fest, and that bothered me a lot given that its setting is in such a fascinating era and the potential for it to be epic was totally there.

If I hated it so much, why did I bother sticking it out? I think I was just in denial that something could be SO bad. I kept thinking that it HAD to dish out some awesome after putting us through so much awful, but it never did. The only redeeming quality it had was Zuo Zhen and his buddies. They were all wonderful characters who didn’t deserve an ounce of the tragedy they were given and they definitely didn’t deserve to have Jin Xiu thrust into their lives. Such a disappointment.

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This will be a short review. Outside of the character flaws in the leading lady this was a great drama from start to finish. I don't mean to say I didn't like the female lead... however I think the writers could have done a better job. I've seen more dramas than I can count and hands down the Male Lead has to be one of my favorites. He was consistent from start to finish. What's not to like about a man who is wholly devoted to one woman.. who would risk his life every time for her and his brothers.. who's is charming . The casting was great in this drama..everyone has a story and you couldn't help but fall in love with them. The Villain... he was awesome... and even though he definitely has some screws lose.. I felt bad for him. sure I'd watch it again.. not because it's worth watching...but who watches a 40 episode twice?... Well at least not me. ENJOY! This really was a good

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Acting was a bit OTT in places, but it really had the spirit of the 30s era movies as well as being set in that era. I thought the 'antiheroes' were exceptionally well done and you were really rooting for them - along with the (very) bad guys who you were desperate to see die; preferably with great pain and suffering.

Huang Xiao Ming was absolutely brilliant as Zou Zhen; his utterly focused and unwavering love for Rong Jin Xiu was breathtaking ------* SEE NOTE BELOW ---- It had a few slow moments, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be watching it more than once I can guarantee - in fact if I can find a region free, English subbed DVD I will also be buying it! I'd give a 9.5/10.

* READ THIS LINE *AFTER* WATCHING IN CASE IT'S A SPOILER - (especially as she as an utter moron when it came to her own safety and not trusting those who meant her harm).

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Cruel Romance has a fast paced story with an overall good main story to tell and is elevated by the lead couple chemistry. A surprise for me was that there was a nice touch of humor, specifically in regard to how the male lead was written and acted. Many times masculine characters in C-dramas can be overbearing and rigid and while the lead here can be and is domineering on occasion, he never became a caricature, and he evolved and grew as the drama progressed. This nuance given by the writer and performed by the actor is much appreciated. I also thought the actress did a solid job even when the writer didn't do her any favors.

Another Pro to this drama is the bad guy is done very well and is given a good story arc throughout the drama.

I judiciously used my fast forward as regards to the side story. Sometimes I found it very involving and other times a bit to over the top for my taste. Nothing against the excellent actors, but I was mainly in it for our lead couple.

My main reason for the downgrade to an 8 is I can't overlook that the writer basically made the lead gal a candy. Also, due to I assume a lack of creativity, the story takes a wacky turn toward the end and goes sideways. In my opinion, the writers threw the actress under the bus with a ridiculous story arc. It gets back on track thankfully, but I was very disappointed.

One last issue is the editing. There are a few scenes which literally look like they were thrown together at the last minute and give you whiplash as you try to figure out what the heck just happened. However, I generally watch dramas for the story and this one overall I enjoyed.

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Flashbacks in Shanghai

I came to the party 1 1/2 years after the initial TV broadcast.  I was searching for C-dramas with English subs, that are hard to find. I found it by accident on YT, and watched the whole drama, with some fast forwarding, over eight consecutive days.

Story:
The plot was plausible, but long-winded, and packed with unnecessary, redundant, superfluous flashbacks.  At least six episodes would have been shaved off, if they had resisted the flashback route.  Drama could have been renamed "Flashbacks in Shanghai" or "I Hate You, I Love You!"; a romance, conspiracy, crime, musical, pre-war drama set in Shanghai.  

Acting/Cast:
Huang Xiao Ming was impressive with his height, acting and fighting skills and his steadfast character. Zou Zhen was overzealous about Jingxui. Joe Chen’s acting was average.  Her character Jinxui is a very confused, easily manipulated woman, who flows like the river, and latches onto any man in her periphery.  At least six men were in various stages of like/love/obsession, which was a stretch.

Qiao Kimi gave a very good acting performance as SLS Ying Dong.  His character was easy going but conflicted.  Lu Kelsey was the most beautiful actor in the cast. Her acting range was greater than Joe Chen's. Qi Ji was the tall, handsome, dastardly evil villain Maeda. Maeda's false charm and charisma were over the top, and should have been dialed back. The supporting actors did very good professional acting jobs. The puppy was the best character.

Music:
I was very impressed with the opening song,  the BGM and the closing song.

Rewatch Value:
Once is enough, even if Huang Xiao Ming were to ask me to watch it again.

Overall:
Acting-very good
Directing-good, but could have been better if he had laid off the Flashback Management Team. 
Cinematography-very good 
Costume design-very good 
Set design-very good 
Editing-good, but could have been better if he had refused to load all the inane flashbacks. A  painted scene of Shanghai would flash monotonously across the screen numerous times in every episode, as if we did not already know that the city is Shanghai.

Memo to production companies; If we see a building or landmark once, we do not have to see it 100 times.

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why I love Cruel Romance:

1. Chemistry between the main lead is amazing! seriously, Super Amazing!
2. The story is about Love journey between the two main lead. It is throughout the episodes. And what a journey of love. Should and must watch
3. The other supporting cast acting is awesome too. I love most of the characters
4. Love the villain here
5. How the story develop for the other cast is unpredictable
6. No unnecessary filler, like most chinese dramas
7. The male main lead is very consistent in characters, and love the girl from the beginning till the end.
7. I wish there's a 2nd Cruel Romance;)))

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I started watching this drama because I had nothing to watch and saw quite a lot of good reviews on it. I’m also neither a fan of Joe Chen nor Huang Xiaoming, as I’ve never watch a series with them in it, so this review is not bias. The drama started of okay, not too good, but bearable, and then it got draggy toward the middle. I was on the verge of giving up and skip to the last episode if it’s not because of my favorite couple( not Jinxiu and Zhou Zhen... and I will talk more about it later). Then out of nowhere, the drama’s pace speed up during the last few episode and ended in the most abrupt and crappy way. The main couple is also one of the reason why I wanted to drop the series. Joe Chen is way too old to play a sweet, naive young girl that does nothing but open her eyes as wide as she could and cry at any chances she got. Huang Xiaoming, on the other hand, had only one expression throughout the whole drama, his character was sooo annoying and boring that I have no clue if it’s because of the actor’s acting or the character himself, but the only thing that I know is that even the smallest supporting character have more charisma than him. Now, this drama is not entirely bad, as I have one thing that I love about it... Yin Mingzhu and Xiang Hanchuan. Their love story is way more interesting than the stupid and boring love story of Jinxiu and Zhou Zhen, I actually cried over their tragic ending, and also angry because Mingzhu’s conclusion was sort of rush and stupid. Lv Jiarong and Tse Kwan-ho‘s acting’s are also top notch and the best among the cast with mediocre to bad acting. Overall, this drama is a total disappointment and I would never want to watch it again, unless I want a good cry, then I would rewatch it, but skip to all the scene with Mingzhu and Hanchuan to watched their sad love story over again. From now on, I will probably avoid any drama with Joe Chen and Huang Xiaoming in it, as I heard that Huang Xiaoming loves playing cold-hearted main lead and Joe Chen, who is now 40, still play naive, young girl, 5 years after Cruel Romance.(p.s This is just my personal thoughts on the drama, so please no hate, thank you!)

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I'm completely in love with this couple, but the road to coming together was just so rough. I mean so mush loss, pain, hate, jealousy, resentment and misunderstandings are floating around right now; that I could seriously consider smacking some of the character. The acting of the cast were on point and did not miss a beat to make it realistic at every point, while bring awareness about the struggles for the poor. Since the story timeline is during the war period between japan and china they have accomplished a lot to make out what could have so many suffer.

The re-watch value is low because i know i will only skip out the unnecessary portions that showcase stupid mistakes. i just can't stomach how they make so many assumptions about an issue instead of asking questions. Overall I have a good feeling about the show and the development of the characters to the very end..

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I am a sucker for rough-edged and complicated male leads and so after reading its synopsis and watching a few clips of it on youtube, I finally decided to watch it. By the end of it, I was only left with mixed emotions.

The start off was pretty strong. We got an innocent but strong-willed female lead and a good-looking rough-edged male lead. The story seemed to be solid as it took off with a concrete conflict.

However, as the drama went on, Rong Jinxiu, the female lead, became too naive for my taste. And I tried too hard to understand her situation and her character as to why she made such terrible decisions in the middle of the drama. But there were just some points that was just a bit too dumb. The good thing was her character developed quite a lot, although it was more of a roller coaster ride for her.

Zou Zhen was just dreamy. He was a tough guy yet a charming little pup when he falls in love. There were moments, though, when he was too blindsided because of his love that he dismissed all logic just for Jinxiu--a dumb yet somehow romantic move.

Maeda Ryuichi/Qian Tian as the main antagonist was a feat of the drama. His character was so complex and unpredictable and ruthless you would have a hard time loving and hating him at the same time. I just loved his character development despite some flaws. Plus, Maeda Ryuichi is one of the sexiest antagonist I have ever seen.

The story had its ups and downs. Like I said, it started off with a strong point. But it slowly got lost along the way as side stories overshadowed the main plot. Halfway through the drama, the plot dragged so slow I was a bit reluctant to continue on.

The OTPs' story got lost (literally) in the middle and came back only with 10 episodes left. There were a little too many side stories for us to handle and the plot became way too complicated and messy.

But the plot twists were at least unexpected. And with such a complex story, we expected it to have a decent and just ending. Instead, we were given a mediocre and anticlimactic one, which I think was the result of rushing the rest of the untold story and condensing it all in the remaining episodes.

The relationship and chemistry of the OTPs were strong. Yes, they had bad times, and I'm not talking about the conflicts in the story. But they were lovable in the end.

Overall, the drama was quite a delight. Although a bit sloppy at times, I still enjoyed watching it. And I wouldn't deny that Cruel Romance has left an impression, strong enough for me to have the urge to revisit it some day.

*note: for a detailed review on the characters, plot, relationships, points and flaws of Cruel Romance click here https://tinyurl.com/y935e3vq

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There is a reason I'm giving this drama a 10/10 and that's because it deserves it. Out of all the dramas I have watched, which is a lot, I've never felt so eager to watch the next episode. Everything about this drama to me was good. The story line and the acting especially. Throughout the whole drama I liked every single bit besides one part that I can't say because you know, no spoilers! I know this drama is lengthy to some people but I recommend you give it a go. It will have you laughing, crying and mad, almost every emotion in the book. It's definitely a drama that im glad I experienced/watched. My favorite part of the drama though that I think everyone could agree on is the FL acting, whenever she cried I cried and whenever she was happy or mad I was happy or mad. I, in all honesty, was not expecting to love this drama because I don't usually enjoy mystery dramas so much but I think because it was so heartwarming and funny at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you decide to watch this drama (which you should ;) ) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! <3

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